A truck driver who makes deliveries for his company and his boss at a car dealership has been in the news a lot lately, especially after he shared a photo on Twitter of a couple holding hands.
But how do you approach a delivery driver, or delivery person at least, who’s trying to make a business out of their work?
In this case, the truck driver’s supervisor at the local Costco in Michigan is being questioned about the incident, but the trucker’s lawyer says the couple was never in an awkward position to be holding hands, according to The Washington Press.
“I would imagine that if a couple of people were in a position to hold hands, it would have been an awkward situation for everyone,” said Michael A. Wintrich, a partner at Wintris Law Firm, who specializes in employment and labor law.
But if that’s the case, what can you do?
A common solution to the awkward situation is to let the person hold the hand of someone else, Wintry told the Detroit News.
And while you can’t physically pull someone in front of you to say hello, you can make sure your employee has a comfortable location.
“It is up to the truck company to set up a location,” Wintriesaid.
“You can make an effort to make sure they have a place to set their table, if you have a nice little area with a table or chairs.
If it’s an office space, you might have to put up a curtain.”
So what can the person who’s being held by the company do?
“There is no right or wrong way to do this,” Wintsaid.
The person holding the hand may not know exactly what to do or how to behave in that situation, but they should have an opportunity to figure it out.
“If they’re in a situation where they are being held, they can have a conversation with the driver,” WINTRICH said.
“They could say, ‘OK, you know what?
I want you to help me out, let me know when we get back, when I can come back to work.'”
If the situation is not a situation that’s comfortable for the employee, then there’s the option of simply asking them to leave.
But the company may be in the position of being in the wrong if they are not prepared for the awkward moment, Wints said.
“They may be saying, ‘You know what, we’re not going to leave you there.’
You know, it’s not like they’re being rude.
They might be like, ‘No, you need to leave,’ ” he said.
In this situation, WIntrich suggested that if the person is holding their hand out, try to ask them to make room for someone else.
“Maybe they’re going to have a couple other customers to bring, and you can say, if they can’t help me, I’ll give them a seat, and if they’re not having any trouble, then they can just sit,” Winsaid.
The company is still in the process of determining how best to handle the situation, and the driver has not been disciplined for the interaction.
